Super Bowl 2013: San Francisco 49ers know they have their hands full with Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco

SANTA CLARA -- Vic Fangio isn't going to spend too much time sweating the yards and points put up on his defense by the Packers and Falcons en route to Super Bowl XLVII.

"Great quarterbacks, great receivers," the 49ers defensive coordinator said Wednesday.

On Feb. 3 in New Orleans, Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens receivers will hope to establish their greatness against the 49ers defense as well.

Fangio knows Flacco's capabilities, having been a fan of him since serving as a Ravens assistant during Flacco's first two seasons, in 2008-09.

"I remember his first (offseason training) sessions as a rookie, when I said to (coach) John Harbaugh: 'You have your horse to ride for 10 years, at least.' I felt he could be a great quarterback in the league and I still feel that way."

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates with Leonard Davis (68) and Jonathan Goodwin (59) after the Niners beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24 to win the NFC Championship game on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

Flacco compiled eight touchdown passes and no interceptions during the Ravens' three playoff wins.

"He's confident, and that's what you need from a quarterback in a big game like this," 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman said.

Flacco didn't look that way Dec. 16, when the Ravens suffered a third straight loss and Flacco flopped to the turf on an interception return for a touchdown during a 34-17 defeat to the Denver Broncos.

He'll face a 49ers defense that allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the regular season. However, Atlanta's Matt Ryan passed for 396 yards and three touchdowns Sunday in the NFC title game, which the 49ers won 28-24. A week earlier, Aaron Rodgers struck for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the Green Bay Packers' loss at Candlestick.

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Said Justin Smith: "Atlanta had weapons all over the field. Green Bay had weapons all over the field. These guys do, too. It's part of it, as long as we come out on top."

Go back further to last season's playoffs and the 49ers yielded 462 yards and four touchdowns to New Orleans' Drew Brees, then 316 yards and two touchdowns to the New York Giants' Eli Manning.

Fangio, like his players, hasn't flinched at any of their defensive lapses. Instead, he pointed out how the 49ers shut out the Falcons after halftime, and virtually did the same against the Packers other than what he termed a "garbage-time touchdown."

Against the Falcons, Bowman and linebackers Ahmad Brooks came through with clutch pass deflections to thwart a late Falcons drive.

"We played some tight coverage, rushed four guys and executed well," Fangio said of that finishing effort. "It was a big batted pass by Ahmad on third down. He also had a big play on second down when he hit the quarterback."

Ryan sustained an injured left (non-throwing) shoulder when hit by Brooks on that second-down pass attempt.

Brooks, however, injured his own shoulder earlier in the game, and he did not participate in Wednesday's light practice. Other than Smith's left-arm injury, Fangio claimed his unit is in good shape for their Super Bowl debut together.

They're also seasoned vets when encountering a top quarterback, a title that Flacco's earned simply by making it to the Super Bowl, according to cornerback Tarell Brown's logic. Citing Flacco's pocket presence and ability to read defenses, Brown said it's imperative the 49ers defense comes out better than last game.

"We were not up to par on our assignments," Brown said. "We haven't played our best football yet. Hopefully this Super Bowl we can."